


Odyssey: Rise and Fall

by TentaChicken



Category: League of Legends
Genre: (wink wink), Angst, Blood, I didnt think id have an idea this large. Oops., M/M, Mostly fluff centric, Odyssey Verse, Sex or Sexual activity is implied
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-07-13 12:16:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16017734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TentaChicken/pseuds/TentaChicken
Summary: Shieda Kayn has finally mastered the prattling weapon called Rhaast, absorbing enough ora to transcend into a higher form. It's not all according to plan, as the same ora that has gifted him with power has seemingly infected his mind, causing him to lose his mind. Hijinks ensue. What follows is a meeting with the past that refuses to let him go. Or he refuses to let it go. Does it matter in the end?Author's Note: I wrote this in a feverish panic from being inspired and decided it would be a chapter by chapter fic. Try to be patient as I tap away furiously at the next chapters and so forth.





	1. The Fall

_Emperor Kayn!_

Rhaast was dead. I can hear the cries of joy and celebration now. Planets and stars, all mine and cheering my name! All of them, everyone. I love it, every single moment of it. I had finished supplying myself with enough ora to finally defeat the beast that resided within. I was enroute to my next destination, the next helpless planet I would reap ora from. Everything is going right to plan.

_You aren’t emperor yet, Kayn._

I twitched. “Rhaast? I can hear you. Where are you?” I called, in a mockingly singsong voice. “You can hear me, can’t you? I won. I don’t _need_ you anymore. You don’t have permission to even talk to me.”

_No you idiot. I’m not actually Rhaast. You-_

“Silence, Rhaast! I don’t have to listen to anyone anymore! I can destroy planets upon planets if I wanted! See? Look there!” I jabbed my finger in the direction of a small green planet to the left, while simultaneously slamming my other hand onto a button on the control panel. “Open fire, blast that disgusting thing into smithereens!”

The canons of the ship whirred to life, and shot lasers at the poor planet, which burst into an explosion of rubble and smoke. “HA! Take THAT, useless planet, an ugly stain in my beautiful, spotless universe… all mine-”

 _You might want to focus_.

“Shut up, Rhaast! I don’t need to listen to yo-”

The ship seemed to shudder as something slammed into the hull. A piece of the planet has been shot out from the explosion and smashed into the glass of the front of the control pit, and I was thrown to the side as the ship seemed to seize and start tipping.  
_You idiot! Look at what you’ve done!_

“Sh-shut up, Rhaast.” I managed to cough out, as smoke started filling up the ship, the cracks in the hull starting to give in to the gravity of space. “I don’t need your-”

The ship was starting to crumble, as the engines starting working in overdrive in a desperate attempt to keep it afloat. I knew I had only moments, mere seconds before I would be blown into outer space. I needed to act quickly.

I grabbed my blade and quickly dashed out of the control pit. The ship was already starting to show damage as the storage units had collapsed, blocking the hallway. Without a second thought I sliced through with my scythe, as if they were made of butter. I grabbed the door to the emergency escape pod, flinging it aside and putting one hand in.  
“I’ve made it. It’s going to be-”

An explosion shocked me to my senses again, and the force of the blast slammed me into the steel wall, opposite of the escape pod. The impact  started making me feel dizzy, with everything in my vision swimming. I barely managed to register the shining blue weapon, still lying inside the escape pod.

“NO-”

A loud _boom_ tore through the ship, ripping it in half. My eyes were blinded by the brightness of the fire, and I was shot into the vacuum of space. My lungs immediately closed up in both panic, and the realization I couldn’t breathe. My vision finally blackened as I saw the explosions and fire from my ship, turning into a supernova of light.

 

* * *

 

“So. You’ve come to, yes?”

I blinked. “Rhaast, what are you doing here?”

He seemed rather disgusted. I could barely see him, only his faint silhouette, subtly glowing with yellow. In the darkness that was the void, only he emitted light. “You’ve ruined everything. You don’t realise how much of a failure you are, do you?”

I laughed. The audacity. “What load of-”

“Be quiet and listen. You’ve lost my weapon, and you’re losing it. And fast.”

“Losing it? What, you mean _going insane?_ ”

The glowing outline of what I supposed was Rhaast seemed to glimmer more brightly. “Yes, exactly. The Ora coursing through your body gifts you with power, yes. But it’s run through your head and by the stars, it has jumbled it all up.”

“And the voice of a dead weapon is telling me this?”

Rhaast laughed. For a very long time.

I didn’t like that, not at all.

“No. I’m gone, you know that, right? You just don’t like believing it.”

“You’re wrong, Rhaast.” I gritted my teeth. “Then you do you speak, right now, in front of me?”

He continued to laugh. “Then why don’t you acknowledge it? You’ve beaten me. You’ve overcome your greatest challenge! Yet… you still talk to me.”

“SILENCE!”

He was laughing hysterically now. His voice seemed lighter, not the gravelly growl it used to be. “You’ve lost it Kayn! You’ve lost everything. Now you’re a slave to the ora and can’t live with it, or without it.”

I didn’t respond. His laughing was too much, the voice wasn’t his now.

It was mine.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” I heard myself say.

I had no answers.

 

* * *

 

I opened my eyes to see the glaring bright light of a star in the sky. I hissed and covered it with my hand, while picking myself up from the ground. I was on some alien planet, covered in dirt and grime. “I suppose the ora refuses to let me die.” I spoke, to no one in particular. Standing up from my position, I saw long lines in the ground across from where I was lying down. Long scars, like claw marks in the dirt.

I slowly walked, following the long gashes in the earth. I found a small piece of wreckage, torn from my ship. I spent a few minutes looking around for more, but to no avail. There was no way to repair my ship, no way at all.

I was stuck here, without my scythe.

“Oh, it’s all right.” I spoke, looking at a small piece of jagged metal sticking up from the ground. “Emperor Kayn knows how to make do.” I tore off the metal, and bent it slightly to fashion myself a make do curved spear. “This will do until I find it again.”

I made my way through the planet. It was a sad, boring mess of a planet. Small worthless critters wandered across my path, and left it empty and lifeless. It wasn’t enough. I could feel my supply of ora dwindling, and I needed some. And fast.

I started to notice something odd. The trees seemed to curve inward, leading me on a well trodden path. It wasn’t a natural curvature, and I knew. Someone lived here. I slaughtered a few more worthless creatures, and found a large curtain of ivy covering an entrance to a tunnel. Cutting through it with the metal spear, I swept aside the useless leaves and journeyed into the tunnel of darkness.

I was used to walking in shadow, and I could see that the tunnel wasn’t all it seemed. There were traps lain about, and some odd nets lining the floor, as if to catch prey. “Who’s done all this? Ha! What do they think I am, some sort of worm, squirming about to be trapped in something like this?” I laughed.

I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and emerged to be face to face with another. Who just happened to have a gun pointed right to my face.

“Who are you and what are you doing here.” He asked. His face was obscured by a mask, but I could see his eye, glinting with gold in the light of the burning star above.

Gold. Ora.

“You’re ora, give it to me!” I lunged forward and swung my metal spear, slicing cleanly through the man’s legs. I expected to see blood, perhaps ora, splattering everywhere, but I merely saw the dirt. “Huh?”

In the split of a second, I could feel something slowing my movement. I had stepped into one of that stranger’s primitive traps. I spun around, trying to find where he went, but then I was knocked aside, pressed against the ground from the force of the man’s foot, where he yanked away the spear and broke it in half.

“Hey! You didn’t need to do _that._ ” I snarled. I tried pushing myself up, but I felt my strength weakening. How long had I gone without ora?

I found my hands bound together, and unable to move. The stranger worked quickly, his hands fast and nimble as he ensnared every bit of my body until I couldn’t move. “What’s this? Let me go!” I demanded. “I said, let me GO!” I yelled. It was an order, everyone _had_ to obey.

The man gruffed, and activated another trap. This time, a large and tightly woven net sprung from the ground, encasing me like a cocoon. “What are you to trap me like a bug in a net? I am Emperor Kayn! You can’t do this!”

“Kayn. What a name. What a man.” The man replied, turning his back on me. He whistled softly, which activated the trap mechanism, and started to haul me forward.

“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” I demanded. I was infuriated at his lack of answers. “Answer me!” I commanded. I could see nothing as I struggled, the red of my fury blinding my senses.

I was met with more silence, and the soft _kachunk_ of the gears as they struggled to move me. It seemed like the net was made for smaller animals and critters, opposed to capturing full sized people. I wondered. Could I somehow, escape?

“Don’t think of escaping.” His words interrupted my thoughts. The stranger turned, to have his golden eye glance at me. “If you do, what next? Kill me? And then what. You don’t have your scythe, Kayn.”

My scythe.

“How do you know of my scythe?” I yelled. Who was this? What was to become of me? I started to panic. “Rhaast! I need assistance, I need-”

“And there we go.”I was interrupted with a louder _klack_ as I was dropped harshly onto a wooden floor. I grumbled in disdain as the net released me, but I was now on my side, unable to move. I glared at the stranger’s boots, and then lifted my gaze to sweep around my surroundings.

I was in a crudely constructed hut of some sort. Nothing made from silver or gold, or even metal. Everything seemed wooden and rather shabby, as if it would crumble with a small gust from a planetary storm. If I had been outside, I wouldn’t have thought twice before having my ship blow it to smithereens. However, there were a strange assortment of knick knacks hidden on the shelves on the walls. I could see small rusted weapons, pieces of fallen space ships, and containers of glowing, golden-

“ORA!” I shouted, squirming on the floor like the worthless worm I felt like I was. “I need it. I need it, please I-” The man walked in my path and pushed me aside with his foot. I was enraged but then, he crouched close to me.

“Hmm.” He seemed to give me a good look. My mind was concentrated on the ora before that I hadn’t given him a closer look. How did he know me anyway? What was he going to do to me? These questions and odd thoughts seemed to push the need for ora away. It gave me a moment of rationality. Why did that eye seem… familiar?

“Kayn, how did you end up like this?” The voice. That voice! I knew it… what was it? A Demaxian lieutenant? No no… One of the crewmembers from the Morning Star? No, I had killed them all. Who was left?

“Kayn, are you even listening to me?” The man’s voice seemed to tighten slightly. “You don’t recognize me? Well… I must haven’t had made much of an impact, then. Granted, I didn’t have time to perform for you at all while you were trying to kill me.”

He turned to leave, and I was still lost in my thoughts.

 _Escape, fool_.

_Shut up, Rhaast. I’m trying to remember._

_The ora has rotted your brain! You can’t remember anything even if you wished!_

_Silence. I will remember._

I lay on the ground quietly. I was started to hear footsteps again as the man knelt by my side and tilted my face to him, and pressed a glass against my lips.

I coughed. The liquid had dripped into my mouth and reacted by knocking the glass to the side. I turned again, snarling. “Trying to poison me? How dare you. You dare-” The man watched as the glass rolled on the floor, and he went to pick it up.

“Fine. Die of thirst if I care. You probably don’t even need water anyway.”

I lowered my eyes and stared at the wood grain in the floorboards. Why was he trying to give me water? If that was true anyway. He might have still tried to poison me, somehow…  
_If he wanted to kill you, he would have cut you open while you’re tied up, idiot._

_True true. Perhaps that’s true._

“Well. Good night Kayn.” The stranger spoke, his voice still and calm. “Don’t try to do anything stupid.”

I heard the man leaving. The light seeping through the cracks in between the wooden boards started to dim as I realised the sun outside was sinking. I could possibly figure out a way to escape, given that the man had left the room. Perhaps I could slice his body open and drain him of his ora while he slept.

_Or you could remember. Like you said._

_Shut up, Rhaast_.

I found see my captor’s eye sparkling in my mind’s image. Why did it remind me of something… rather fond? Pleasant? _Positive?_ That was rare.

And yet, it was so difficult for me to recall. Why was that?

Hearing the man call my name had awakened something… deep within me. Perhaps it was a memory. Perhaps…

It was dark now. The sun had set and I lay on the wood, lost in thought.

What was that he said? _I didn’t have time to perform for you at all while you were trying to kill me._

Perform.

Finally, I remembered. The memory I had been searching all along…

“Jhin.” I whispered into the darkness. “Why did it take me so long to remember…”

My eyes slowly slid shut. The exhaustion was lulling me to sleep. My chest started to constrict. Was it pain? Perhaps…

Or maybe it was the memory’s weight dragging my heart down into the long dusty chambers of what remained of my soul.


	2. Recollection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kayn remembers the first moment he laid his eyes on the criminal artist known as Jhin from his past. What follows is a insight to memories that Kayn had almost forgotten.

My vision was foggy and blurry. But soon, it cleared.

I blinked. I then remembered where I was.

I found myself standing on an alien planet, looking over the planet’s surface from the cockpit of my ship. I grinned as my ship gunned down the resistance that lived there. As I ordered my men to collect the ora, they reported an odd survivor from the attack.

It was him.

How his allure had attracted me. It was odd, really. I’ve heard stories of him from other planets but never expected to feel anything. I don’t even know what had led me spare him. He was dressed quite fancily, despite the ruins and the garbage state the rest of his planet was in. The gold trim on his tail coat glimmered in the light of the dying sun, and so did his one visible eye. For some reason, he had a mask obscuring most of his face, except that particular eye. Perhaps it was an artist thing.

But oh did I love the color of gold.

When I found him, I had my men confiscate his guns and traps, and have him forced to kneel before me.

“You’re a pretty thing.” I cooed softly. I quietly observed him, pacing in circles around him as he kept his head lowered.

I thought of my next words carefully. “I’ve taken a liking to you, _Jhin_. What do you think of joining me and serving me, your new leader?”

Jhin narrowed his eye. “Do I have a choice?”

“Oh yes.” I smiled. “You join me, and live. Or, you die right here and I drain your body of ora and leave your body here before I blast this planet into sad pieces.”

There was a long pause. I could hear the screams of other natives being shot by my army. It was like music to my ears. Finally, Jhin spoke, “I’ll join you.”

“Good choice.” I smirked. I gestured to my men. “Take him to the… _guest_ quarters. I will deal with him later.”

I watched him turn and look at me, his eye poised on me until he was ushered into the ship and out of sight. It was hard to tell what he was feeling. What did it matter anyway? It wasn’t as if I needed to know. He was merely a small amusement I would dispose of eventually. I had no intention of keeping him for long.

I was wrong then.

The planet was left in a desolate state after the ora had been successfully drained from all lifeforms that lived there and stowed safely away on my ship. I ordered my men to take care of the ship’s control and set the course to the next last sighting of the Morning Star. After I was done, I strode to the room where they sent the prisoner to stay.

“So.” I spoke, while entering the room. I saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands cuffed together with steel. “Enjoying the view outside? Your old planet blasted to small bits. It was an eyesore anyway.”

Jhin stayed quiet. It was annoying me, so i continued, “Oh, speak up. I don’t want to be talking to myself through our little time together.”

“What do you want.” He said quietly.

I strode closer to Jhin, and looked down at him. He lifted his head to stare at me, and I felt rather giddy with excitement. “I want you to _entertain me_. You’re known as an artist, no? I saw your pieces on your planet, and have heard tales from beyond. Those bodies pierced with those ora augmented bullets of yours…fashioned in such a delightfully goregeous way… that requires a certain genius and vision to accomplish.” I reached my hand out to his face and lifted his chin. “I liked that. I want more.”

I nudged his mask slightly, lifting it ever so slightly so I could see his lips which were pulled back in the smallest of snarls. Upon letting my words sink in, his mouth quivered ever so slightly, and he seemed to relax. “You… appreciate my vision? My work?”

“Yes.” I grinned. My words seemed to be finally be reaching to him. “I wish for you to work from my side, painting these planets like brushstrokes across the canvas that is this galaxy. I need a stage set for my empire, after all.”

His eye widened. “I...I would like to make that happen.”

“Oh?” I leaned in closer. “I’m glad to hear it.”

I let go of his chin and stepped back. “I will have you confined in this room for a while, if you don’t mind. I don’t trust you quite yet, but I wanted to tell you of what awaits you if you willingly choose to join me. I want you to be my artist, my partner in conquest.”

Jhin looked up and gave a slight nod. “I accept.”

“Good.”

I left the room and smiled. I returned to my quarters and looked towards the scythe that lay close to my bed. It seemed to laugh softly as I approached.

“So. He agreed?”

“Yes, Rhaast. I’ve gotten him to agree, and I think I’ve enticed him enough.”

The weapon grumbled as I picked it up with my hands. “I don’t understand why this is so important to you.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t. He is someone who understands. I want him to help me guide my empire to its peak. I want the rest of the universe to see my rise with such horror and fear as they become hopeless to it’s inevitable grandeur.”

“So…” Rhaast began. “You’re playing with him, merely to gain his assistance and then reap him of his ora.”

“Quite so. I’ve also heard rumors that would interest you. I’ve heard that he had past run ins with the ones we are searching. Especially… her.”

“Ooo.” Rhaast mused. “I see the game you’re playing.”

I smiled. “Yes, you finally get it.”

“Good. It will help us.” The weapon seemed to grow slightly warm in my hands. I’ve always wondered his reasoning and seeming obsession over the Templar. The Ora Gate was something I seeked as well, but Rhaast… Well, he has a seemingly suspicious and unhealthy mania with it. Of course I didn’t trust Rhaast as much as I led him to believe… what was this so called ‘voice of ora’ planning?

Despite this, I had to trust him for now. I never wanted to admit, but I needed him and his power to succeed on my journey to become emperor. I had to believe his words, but not too much.

I’ve got to say, I have to give credit to myself on being wary.

 

* * *

 

My path of domination continued with very little resistance. I could feel my grasp on the meddlesome crew of the Morning Star closer and closer with every planet I leave destroyed in my wake. I began letting Jhin out from his cage more, letting him give his take on how I should destroy each planet. Thanks to him, I started a small engineering and tinkering project on my ship’s weapons systems, that let it blast through planets in certain marvelous ways.

“Oh, I was thinking.” He mused during one of our discussions. “What if you had a system of laser canons that could explode the planet, yet the lasers are so hot and powerful, it sets the very earth it’s shooting at on fire? That way when it finally and inevitably bursts, it shoots out chunks of flaming earth, each with trails like fireworks. Well… almost like fireworks.”

“Or like a shooting star.” I mused. The current cannons on my ship were the barrage type, where with time and effort, the lasers would eventually chip away enough pieces of a planet for it to crumble in place. “Sounds interesting for an upgrade. I’ll consider it.”

I had found out that Jhin’s mind worked in strange ways. On the surface, wanting to burst a planet where it explodes like a bomb sounds normal, too typical even. But to shatter a planet to pieces so when it burst it would look like a fireworks display, it was a small difference but a noticeable one.

Or maybe I was overthinking it.

I led him back to his room, holding onto his arm a second more than I needed to, and sealed the door. I turned and returned to my quarters, where Rhaast lay, the air thick with what was bound to be an accusatory tone.

“What are you doing, Kayn.” It was more of a statement than a question. He sounded… disappointed. “It’s been weeks.”

“Yes, Rhaast? So what?” I turned to the mirror in my room and began to undo my hair.

“You’ve gotten no more closer to the crew of the Morning Star than weeks ago, _before him_.”

I knew what he was insinuating. I raised my brush and began to go through my hair, brushing it the just way I liked it. “Sometimes, you have to stalk your prey, dear Rhaast. Sometimes, shimmerstrikers will stalk the grasses for hours before finally pouncing on the unaware skitterbeaks. We are close, I’m just waiting for the moment to pounce.”

He scoffed. “No, actually I think you’re more of like the one shimmerstriker who is too busy copulating with another to bother about what he _needs to survive_ over what he _wants in the moment._ ”

I blinked and set down my brush. “No need to get so vulgar, Rhaast. You know I would never do such thing.”

“Oh?” His voice shifted again.

“Of course not.”

I heard Rhaast grumbling to himself again. I wondered, did he know when I was lying through my goddamned teeth? Who knows. I didn’t, I wasn’t someone able to read the minds of sentient weapons.

“Well. At least you should pursue the lead we have, Kayn.” Rhaast spoke again. I got up from my spot in front of the mirror and strode towards where the weapon lay. “Regarding… you know.”

“Of course.” I purred. “You know I’m working on it.”

“Well, get to it. I’m sure the information you need isn’t located anywhere else but in our prisoner’s mind.” If Rhaast had a body and eyes, he would be squinting in a judging matter at me. I could tell from his tone.

“Ugh… fine fine. Stop implying I’m just wasting my time with a fling, I’ll go make the progress you desire so much. Goodness.” I left the room and gave a large sigh. “Is he impatient or what…”

I found myself doing a small skip as I found my way to Jhin’s room again. I entered quietly, and gazed around the pictures taped onto the walls. He had started drawing, sketching out visions and plans for future performances. Sometimes I would stand and watch as he gripped the pencil in his gloved hand and worked quickly, etching a long line detailing a body being torn from four directions at once. It was beautiful, really.

I found him sitting at his desk, head laid on the surface. His fingers loosely gripping the pencil as I saw his form slowly rise and fall in rhythm with his breathing. He had such soft skin, where it was visible. Jhin made it a point no matter how many fitting garments I found that suited him, he needed to cover up most of his visible skin. I wondered about it, but not much.

“Hey Jhin.” I said loudly, jolting him awake. I snickered at myself when I saw he almost fell from his chair.

“What the fuck Kayn.” He snarled, positioning himself properly back to the chair. “You should have knocked, or something. I didn’t know you were coming back.”

“This is my ship, you know. I don’t _have_ to.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Jhin was so funny when he was mad.

“Well, whatever. What do you want now?” He asked, turning his chair to face me. I leaned against the desk and had my eyes wander towards the drawings that littered the desk. I had other questions to ask, but not for now. Rhaast was waiting.

“Well, I wanted to ask you about something. Something I heard rumors of, and perhaps it’s something you can assist me on.”

“Oh? And What could that be?”’

“I’m talking about the Templar hiding on the Morning Star. What was her name, So-

“Sona.” Jhin answered so quickly it put me off my guard. “Yes. What about her?”

“Ahh. Uhm. As you know, we need to key to the Ora Gate. We know she is the key to opening it, and unleashing the power within.” I didn’t know but I felt the tone in the air change.

“You’re looking for her too, I know that. What exactly do you want to know?”

_Too_.

“So, you’ve had run ins with her too, hm?” I asked. I realised I was slowly dragging my nails across my other hand. I stopped and tried to pay attention to what Jhin would say next.

“You could say something like that. We’ve known each other yes. I know quite a bit about her and can definitely help you find her.” Jhin gave a small laugh. “Oh yes. This is very funny, how things happen like this, never thought I’d see her again.”

_Get to the point._ “Ha! That’s good. You will definately be helping me with my men when we plan our siege of their ship in three days time. We’ve planned a way for them to be unaware of our approach, and we can ambush them while they are stuck on a planet when we shoot them down.”

Jhin nodded. Was that a glimmer in his eye? “Good to hear.”

I turned to leave, feeling a lot less enthused when I had entered. I had many questions, but wasn’t getting the answers I wanted. Everything about him was so disgustingly _vague._ I turned back and blurted out one last question. “So. What exactly was your relationship with her?”

I felt horrified when the words left me. There wasn’t a worse way to expose yourself as a jealous and petulant child. Was Rhaast right? I prayed Jhin wouldn’t take notice of it. Jhin turned his head to look at me, his expression void of any emotion. “Like a sculpture to a sculptor, or a painting to a painter. It’s not what you think, Kayn. She’s will be my masterpiece.”

I left without saying another word. So many riddles. I never understood any of them. But all I could think of how lovely Sona would look, her eyes glassy and her neck broken.

I wasn’t jealous, no. It wasn’t that.

I headed to the cockpit to have a talk with my pilot and crew. I set the course directly towards the Morning Star, and the planet we were going to force them to retreat to.

After that, I walked back to my room, as slowly as I could. I paused at the door, and hesitated. Taking a deep breath, I walked in and heard Rhaast speak, “So?”

“He knows her and he’s going to help. She will be within our grasp in three days.”

“Good. If I known we were that close, I wouldn’t have been so concerned.”

I felt relieved to have Rhaast finally satisfied, but also anxious. I didn’t tell him we had been so close to the Morning Star but I had been deliberately taking my sweet time, letting my ship taking a longer route. But Rhaast has forced it upon me and we were now stuck on the closest path there.

Three days. After three days… Well then, there wouldn’t really be a reason to keep Jhin around, would there?

“It will all end in three days.” I said softly.

“Of yes, it will. It will be _glorious._ ” Rhaast whispered. “I’m looking forward to it.”

I closed my eyes slowly. “...So am I.”

 

* * *

 

“What a lovely day it is. This planet isn’t the grandest stage for this glorious event, but it will do.” I laughed as I walked towards her. She was injured, alone, and vulnerable. We were under a small cliff, and she was cornered against the rocks.

Our attack on the Morning Star had been successful, forcing them to crash upon the planet where I had cornered them in. I had immediately singled her out, and chased her until she couldn’t run any further. Now, she was mine.

“You hold the key to the Ora Gate. I need it, and you _will_ give it to me.” I continued. “All of your friends are dead, or about to be. It doesn’t matter, does it?”

The fear in her eyes excited me more. This was the final stage, the step right before I could seize power over the whole universe and everything beyond! I was to be Emperor, holding power over everything that exists! I-

“Kayn, you musn’t harm her!” Rhaast hissed from my side. I gripped my weapon tightly as he spoke. “You’re going a bit too far.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. She can handle a bit of roughening up.” I pressed the blade to her cheek, where it made a small cut above her quivering lip. “Isn’t that so, _Sona_?”

I was so busy concentrating on my prey before me that I didn’t hear the sound of someone running. I whipped around and found myself watching Jhin thrusting his hand out, and ripping Rhaast from my startled grip.

“What the- what are you doing, Jhin?!” I snarled. He stared at me, his eye wide and wild. He didn’t answer, but I could feel his anger and adrenaline. Rhaast was yelling, and already I knew what Jhin was going to do. “Jhin no don-

With one fluid sweep, Jhin slashed the weapon in front of Sona, slicing her instrument and body in two. I yelled, and I could hear Rhaast screaming. The scythe somehow ripped itself from Jhin’s hands and I heard Jhin cry out in pain.

I heard clatter of metal against stone as Rhaast lay on the stony ground, and Jhin kneeling gripping where his arm used to be. Rhaast had torn through his shoulder, removing Jhin of his right arm. “What the HELL Jhin! That wasn’t part of the plan!” I snarled. I could feel the ora leaving Sona’s body, and slowly flowing into me. It cleared my head, but the fury didn’t leave.

“You don’t understand.” Jhin was laughing, almost maniacal. He gripped his now stump of a shoulder in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. “She was my masterpiece, and mine alone! I was to kill her, reap her miserable soul from this land. I had planned her performance for years, and yet she managed to slip through my fingers, time and time again! Attempt after attempt, she would flee from me and everyone else who was hunting her! But… ha ha…” The blood dripping from his arm pooled at his feet. “She doesn’t have to run anymore.”

“You absolute idiot.” I snarled, and I picked up Rhaast. “You’ve ruined everything. You cost me my legacy, my chance at becoming Emperor! You delayed this enough, _Jhin_.” I spat. I lifted my scythe to bring it down upon him, but I faltered.

“Do it. DO IT.” Rhaast yelled, his rage filling my mind. “If you fail to kill him, you’ve only proven yourself as weak and miserable as I’ve always known you were! You wouldn’t _dare_ let him live, now would you?!”

I was waiting for my arms to do what they should do.

But the moment never came.

I was blasted off my feet as explosions blew up where I had been standing a moment before. I looked and saw the miserable crew of the Morning Star, who had somehow defeated my men and have come to ruin everything, again.

I turned to see where Sona was, but she wasn’t there anymore. Of course. Malphite held her motionless body in his arms as Jinx prepared to shoot me with her arsenal of various guns. I wasn’t going to have any more of this.

I gripped my weapon tightly and swiftly walked through the shadows. I needed to get out of here. Back to my ship, postpone this encounter until I had another solid chance. I made it out of the chaos and boarded my ship which was under attack from that miserable mining yordle Ziggs and Captain Yasuo.

“ENOUGH.” I yelled loudly as I pushed them aside with my blade, and threw them out. “You may have delayed me today, but it matters not! Have your small satisfaction that you’ve annoyed me, but I will return. And you will be _sorry_ the day I do.” I signaled for my remaining crew to take off and within minutes we had left the planet, and were out in the reaches of space once more. It all happened in a blur.

It was very quiet. I didn’t say anything, nor Rhaast. It seemed as if he was just as angry as I was.

“So. Is it a bad time for me to say, ‘I told you so’?” Rhaast began cautiously.

“Very. Extremely. I’m throwing you into the dresser for that.”

“I DIDN'T’ ACTUALLY SAY IT!” Rhaast yelled, as he was shoved into the dresser. “You let me out now, Kayn!” His muffled speech came from the now closed dresser. I was too annoyed with him to listen to his complaining anyway.

Not only had I lost the opportunity to open the Ora Gate, I had lost something else. Something I didn’t realise. I had been growing fond of his prisoner. That was his mistake. A cruel, regrettable, and possibly disastrous mistake. I sat down on the edge of the bed and held my head in my hands

“You know…” Rhaast began, his voice calmer than before but still muffled, “It’s not all over.”

“I know that.” I now had my arms crossed, my nails digging into my elbows. “I just hate delays.”

“Yes yes. But I think this is good for you.”

I turned to look at the dresser. “Oh? Really.”

“Yes! You no longer have that.. _Distraction_ , and can seek out the target on your own, without having to deal with someone trying to betray you.”

I knew Rhaast was trying to help, but the thought of Jhin becoming… merely a distraction made me feel uneasy.

ButI couldn’t let just one measly mortal stop me on my quest for domination over the universe. It wouldn’t matter when I became emperor.

Because then, everyone would love me. I wouldn’t need just _one._

I stood and opened the dresser and pulled out Rhaast, who gave a quiet sigh of relief.

“Good. Now remember, keep your eyes on the prize.”

“Oh I will. I don’t need you to tell me that.”

 

* * *

 

I opened my eyes to see a blurry figure above me, the light shining down as I stared. My body felt bruised and aching as I tried to move from the floor. I stared at the man above me and felt my head clear for a moment. My mouth felt dry when I spoke. “Jhin?”

I could see him now.

His face was still obscured with his mask, albeit it had worn down over the years. He still wore his familiar coat, the gold trim had faded slightly from how i remembered it. His eye blinked at me, and from it I felt as if he had lived over a thousand years since I last saw him. He reached out to me, his left arm had been replaced with a mechanical augmentation, fueled by ora from the gold in his veins. I tensed slightly as I felt his fingers graze against my cheek. The hand was cold, but also… warm.

“So you do remember.” Jhin whispered softly. “I feared you would have forgotten.”

He pulled out a small dagger and I recoiled. Jhin grabbed my shoulder firmly and ordered, “Hold still.”

I did what he asked despite every instinct screaming not to trust this man who had betrayed me years before. He worked silently, cutting away at the ropes that bound me.

When he was done, he pulled me up from the floor. I stood there, swaying. My mind still foggy and unfocused. I saw Jhin was ushering me to the other room.

“Come. You’re clearly dehydrated and lacking of food.” Food. What an odd word. I barely remembered if I ate anything other than ora anymore. “And, we have much to discuss” Jhin added.

I was free, free to decide whether to play by his rules and join him for a chat, or escape and find a way to get off this planet as fast as possible. The possibilities whirled in my mind, but escape seemed to be such an unpleasant option. My exhaustion was eating away at my will more than I realised.

I looked at Jhin again, who was still staring at me, his arm outstretched. I hesitated. I stood there in silence, for a very long time.

Then, I teetered forward and took his hand and allowed Jhin to lead me to the other room.


	3. Reminisce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kayn lets Jhin invite him to a meal. They discuss things, such as the past, over breakfast.

I barely noticed my surroundings as I was dragged to the kitchen and dining room combination in the shack. It was a very small area, with a small wooden table with two chairs that looked as sturdy as a building built out of porcupine quills. The tabletop had been set with two small bowls, and the smell that wafted from them was, to put it as nicely as I could, repulsive.

“Don’t make that face.” Jhin chided. “It doesn’t taste as bad as it smells, trust me.”

He sat me down opposite of his spot, and then tied something around my waist and the chair. I grumbled and struggled halfheartedly, but he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “I’m not so trusting of you yet. So a minor precaution.”

Whatever. I knew if things got real bad, I could squirm around, force my way out of the bindings, and perhaps try to escape that way. I had many ways to escape situations like this anyway, I was much more capable than Jhin thought I was.

What foolish bastard. What was he planning?

I stared at the bowl in front of me. It was a grayish green, with lumps of what I presumed to be meat chunks floating in it. Goodness. After decades of looking upon the finest meals the galaxy could offer… I was presented with a bowl of garbage soup.

I watched as Jhin spooned a mouthful in his mouth without flinching or recoiling. What kind of surroundings has this man have been living since I left him to die? 

“A rather large coincidence you end up on the exact planet I’ve been hiding for years.” Jhin commented. I blinked as I stared into one particularly spherical lump in my soup. Was that… an eyeball? Oh by the stars I was on the verge of vomiting right now.

I heard Jhin continue, “It hasn’t been easy. Turns out your empire and the people you rule over have exceptionally  _ strong _ feelings about me. Makes my work very difficult.” I lifted my head and watched as Jhin blow gently at his soup before putting it in his mouth.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Jhin set down his spoon and got up from the chair and walked to the kitchen and began searching around the cupboards. “People either have been hunting me down to slaughter me and display my head as the one who defied the emperor himself or recruit me to overthrow you.” He returned to the table with a small loaf of bread, and he cut himself a slice. He offered me a cut, and I nodded, and he placed the slice of bread next to my soup.

I slowly picked up the soup and with a shaky hand scooped a spoonful of the gray sludge. I purposefully picked out the eyeball, I wasn’t feeling that adventurous yet. I put the spoon in my mouth and the immediate reaction was hurl it right back directly into the bowl. I was heaving, my whole body reacting with convulsions as I tried to rid my mouth of the taste by scrubbing it away with the slice of bread.

“Hm. Perhaps I’m just used to the taste.” Jhin muttered to himself, as he continued to feed spoonfuls of that disaster creation to his mouth. 

When I finally recovered, I pushed aside the bowl of soup. “Sorry. I just can’t.”

Jhin gave me a look, and scanned my face carefully. “When was the last time you’ve eaten something?”

“I…” I paused. When was the last time I was on my ship? “When I was back on my ship.” I answered, glaring at the cursed bowl of ‘soup’.

“Oh no, I meant food. Not  _ ora _ .” 

I was surprised with the way he spat out the word. “Months.” I answered easily. “Maybe more.”

Jhin pointed his spoon in my direction and I cringed at the sight of it. “There’s your problem. You’ve been depending solely on ora to fuel you… Your body no longer recognizes food as sustenance.”

“I don’t recognize  _ that _ as sustenance with my eyes, thanks.” I glared at the spoon until Jhin put it back into his bowl. He sighed. 

“Fine.” Jhin vanished into the kitchen again and I heard noises of shuffling around.

I decided to ask the question that had been lingering in my mind for a while. “So… what exactly happened after… the last time we met.”

The noises stopped, but continued when I saw Jhin was pouring me a glass of water. When he returned to the table, he set the water pitcher on the table, and the glass in front of me. He gave me a look. Was it commanding? “Drink.”

“Answer the question.”

“Fine. Only if you drink.” He had cornered me. Damn him.

I carefully held the cup and took a sip. The water splashed into my parched mouth, and felt painful to swallow. It seemed as if Jhin was right, and my body had become unable to take in normal food and water anymore.

“Keep at it.” Jhin suggested. “Now… the last time we met.” He tapped his finger to his chin and closed his eye. “My my… what a time ago.’

“After I lost my arm, I was reduced to a useless worm. If you hadn’t retreated, and I probably would have died right there. But after your ship left, the Captain of the Morning Star saw me, and lent me a hand in offering.”

I was testing another sip of water when I stopped, cup in mid air. Of course, Yasuo.

Jhin opened his eyes and stared at me as he talked, “He didn’t trust me, but thought it was inhumane to let me die crawling around like that. Perhaps I reminded him of his helpless brother, who you slaughtered. Who knows? But I spent a few days recuperating on that ship, letting the days slip by and I barely remember anything from that time period.”

I kept my eyes on the water rippling in the cup as Jhin continued, “Of course, the Templar was there. She didn’t like me being on the ship after my attempt on her life. My hatred of her was always burning in my heart, but I couldn’t risk my chances to kill her while I was there. When I finally recovered and Jinx helped me with a new augmented arm, I bid them farewell and went off on my own way. What odd strangers they are, helping me when they should have let me die.”

I managed a large gulp of water to distract myself from what I already knew. Perhaps Jhin didn’t know? If he was stuck on this reclusive planet for decades, perhaps he never got ahold of the news...

“I wondered if I would ever see them again.” Jhin continued, twiddling his thumbs now, and I saw the gold of his arm reflect some of the sunlight shining through the window blinds. “Of course I didn’t want to. I thought maybe once I got everything settled I could set out, hunt that damn Templar again and end her miserable life for good, it would mean something. It would give me something to do, purpose for the miserable existence my life had become-”

“She dead.” 

Jhin stared at me when I blurted out those words. 

“What?” He said softly. Too softly.

“I’m sorry.” I began, setting my cup down. “But the Templar, she’s dead.”

Jhin breathed in slowly and gave me a look. Perhaps dangerous? I still could never understand what he was thinking. “Continue.”

“Perhaps it was a few years ago, perhaps longer. I set out on another attack on the Morning Star by the advice and guidance of Rhaast in order to capture the templar and use her to unlock the Ora Gate. When I saw her again though, the memories of my previous failure flew back and in a blind fury I-” I could remember her broken form now. Jhin never really knew how to use Rhaast like I did, and I made sure this time she was sliced in two. Even the most advanced technology and magic wouldn’t have saved her broken body as I continued to slice at her flesh, even though my mission was done.

Rhaast never forgave me for that moment. He never did.

“I don’t know of the remaining crew of the Morning Star.” I continued as I realised there was a rather awkward stretch of silence between us. “I’m sure they are still alive-”

Jhin slammed down his empty cup with a loud thunk and it shattered, which cut me off. He didn’t say anything, but turned to retreat into the kitchen once more.

He returned with a new cup, this one a crudely made wooden mug. “So it won’t break.” Jhin said, answering my silent question. He sat back down and swept the broken shards of glass onto the floor.

I took another sip of water to have excuse not to speak. What was Jhin thinking? What was he feeling? What did he want, for goddamn sake? Finally, he spoke.

“I’m glad she’s dead.” Jhin said softly. “But I always imagined I would be the one who ended up killing her.”

I remembered the flood of feelings I felt when I had confronted Sona. “In a way, you did.” I replied. He looked at me and for a moment I recognized the look he gave me. He was curious. He lifted the water pitcher and poured me another glass of water. Great.

There was another stretch of uncomfortable silence as I struggled with my water.

“Who is this ‘Rhaast’?” Jhin asked.

I blinked. “Rhaast?”

“Yes. You mentioned him.” Jhin continued.

“Rhaast.” I repeated to myself. “He’s the being in my scythe, a disembodied voice of a terrible creature imprisoned within the blade for millennia. He seeked the Ora Gate for his own reasons, but it was enough of an aligned cause for him to assist me when I found him.”

Jhin stayed silent. He crossed his arms, and flashed me a dangerous look. “So, he’s the one who took my arm.”

I breathed in and let the words sink in. Rhaast had moved the scythe by himself in that moment. “Well, yes. I suppose so.”

“I’ve always wondered.”

More silence. I tried drinking more water, as Jhin turned to look at the sunbeams shining on the dusty floor.

I had gotten used to drinking, and now felt like I couldn’t get enough. I began taking larger gulps as my body realised how starved of liquids it had become. Jhin set his arm down on the table and asked, “Uhm. Does Rhaast know of what we did.”

I was taken aback and spit out the water in my mouth all over the table. “Ugh disgusting.” Jhin hissed as he was splattered with stray droplets that landed on him.

I coughed painfully and finally when I was done I spoke loudly, “Excuse me, but WHY did you have to ask when my mouth was full of WATER?”

“Sorry sorry. My thoughts just wandered…”

“Still!”

“You mentioned Rhaast being sentient and well.”

“Goodness gracious.”

“So did he or not?” Jhin demanded.

I hesitated. “Uh… no?”

“That doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

I could sense my train of through going back to those times, and I was screaming in my head.  _ Don’t go there don’t go there _ -

Too late.

I felt my cheeks flush up as I remembered. Some nights I would sneak out of my quarters to visit Jhin, of course with an excuse of discussing some sort of planetary destruction mechanism before transitioning to the real reason I visited him in the late of night. Sometimes I needed a toy to play with, and sometimes Rhaast wasn’t enough to satisfy my desires. I did use Jhin in a way that Rhaast had implied, which lead me to believe he was highly observant with my odd behaviour. Of course, I thought I was much more sneaky and secretive than I actually had. Damn it all.

“It was fun. I’ll admit.” Jhin commented, which didn’t help my mind’s eye digging back through all those rather… intimate moments. “I’ve never laid with a person of such power before.”

“Oh shut up.” I grumbled as I remembered his naked body. Or at least how naked he was willing to be. Jhin never did show me what lay underneath that mask of his. Perhaps it just had added to how much I wanted him.

But that was in the past. Eons ago. I quickly regained my composure and chugged down the rest of the water before Jhin could say another distracting comment. “It doesn’t matter now.” I stated out loud.

“Oh, of course it doesn’t.”

Was he humoring me? Jhin as lucky he tied me to this chair or I would have had a go with him right now, with my bare hands.

“So… where is Rhaast anyway?” Jhin asked. 

The lightness of the mood sank suddenly as I remembered. 

“He’s… Well, Rhaast is dead.” 

“Oh. My condolences.”

“No no.” I shook my head. “We must not grieve for him… He was a beast that would have overtaken me and consumed all the Ora to destroy this universe and countless others. He needed to die. He is gone now.”

_ That is what you think. _

I blinked. “Jhin, did you say something?”

“No.” He gave me a weird look. “No I didn’t.”

I was hearing him again. The first time I heard him in a long while. It seemed to almost anchor me back to reality, the seriousness of the situation I had landed myself into.

_ You fool. What are you doing? _

The voice was right. It was no time to just sit around drinking water, gossiping with a decades old acquaintance over breakfast.

I tried to get up when I was held back by the chair. I snarled and reached back to see if I could reach the ropes but they were too tightly tied. “Jhin, let me go. I need to get my scythe back.”

“Oh, your scythe. Right.” Jhin replied. “You don’t have it with you.”

“Yes. So I need to go out and find it, let me out of these ropes!”

“Yeah. About that.”

I whipped my head around and turned to Jhin. His golden eyes laughed at me. What was this? What was he doing?

“If you think that I was chatting you merely for recollection sake… you’re wrong.” Jhin said softly. He folded his fingers neatly and put his elbows on the table, so his face rested on his hands. “You know… people  _ have _ visited me here. They happen to be on a lookout for you, more than me.”

I knew what was happening. “What, how dare you Jhin?! You…” I struggled, and fought against the restraints. What kind of ropes were these? They shouldn’t have been able to hold me back… unless. I was the one who was weakened.

Did Jhin put something in my water? 

_ You were foolish to trust him. _

“You backstabbing fiend-”

“Yes yes. All that, history repeating itself. Whatever.” Jhin shrugged. "You know, my time aligned with you had ruined the rest of my life. Any prospect of me resuming my career as an assassin for hire and a performance artist was out of the question with the whole empire looking down upon me with it’s judgmental eye. But, the Resistance against you has grown strong, and have offered me things… things I can’t refuse.”

Jhin stood up and smiled at me. That traitorous bastard, the  _ audacity _ -

“You were very weakened from the start. Your body was running low on Ora, and this planet is almost devoid of it. I knew you wouldn’t come here unless it was by chance… and I was ready for it. Even with sustenance, your body can’t withstand a few well placed sleeping tablets dissolved in water.”

_ I knew you shouldn’t have trusted him! Your weakness has defeated you, once more. _

So that was where the overwhelming exhaustion came from. I was so concentrating on trying to get out of the chair that I hadn’t realised the pull against my eyelids. I was so tired… so sleepy.

“Rest Kayn.” Jhin whispered softly. “You have a long ways to go from here. I contacted the Resistance while you were slumbering, and they should be here about…” Jhin waited, and he heard sounds of a ship approaching orbit of the planet. “...Ah yes, there we go.”

“How could you do this?” Kayn hissed softly. “I thought… I really thought…”

_ Did you really? Naive child. _

Jhin raised an eyebrow. “What did you think, exactly?”

_ Exactly. You were nothing to him. _

I didn’t answer him. My body was aching so much and everything was hard to fight back. My eyes, so dry after years and years of heartless domination and slaughter, began to produce moisture for the first time in decades.

_ Is our great emperor going to cry now? _

“Shame, Kayn.” Jhin took a step back and I heard footsteps beginning to surround the hut. “I did like you, I did enjoy our time together, but I don’t  _ feel _ anything for you. The deal is too sweet to resist, you see. They promised me everything to get my life back together.”

I couldn’t shoot back an angry retort. People began to march through the door and surround me, binding my arms behind me and cuffing me tight so I was unable to escape. The fury and adrenaline that would have saved me in this moment never came. I then felt a jolt of electricity spark to my neck, and travel all through my body, numbing it entirely.

_ This is what you deserve, Kayn. Karma at its finest! _

As I was dragged out of the hut, the last thing i saw was Jhin’s back towards me. His head lowered in silence. 

Then, nothingness.


	4. Incarceration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kayn wakes up in a prison, but that is not the only prison he tries to escape. Can he overcome the cage that is his own broken mind?

_What have I told you? Your weakness is pathetic. You should have never become emperor, should have never overcome me…_

My mind was a battleground, Rhaast’s belittling comments bombarding my already frail mind. The mental walls I tried to keep up were crumbling hard, and I was vulnerable. Every part of my body hurt, but my chest ached the hardest. It felt like it was bleeding from the inside, it hurt so much I wanted to dig my fingers into my chest cavity and rip the pathetic thing out myself. Thumping on like a pointless machine, serving no real purpose.

_He betrayed you, just like all the others. See how they leave? See how unimportant you are?_

_Shut up._ I could barely think.

 _I’m right, you know._ He continued, his voice continuing to taunt me. _You think being emperor would suddenly make people love you? Yes, clearly, ruining their lives, killing their families, destroying entire planets for fun… Ah yes, that’s what I’d love in a person…_

_I said SHUT UP._

_Oh, but there’s more._ Rhaast was relentless. _A sniveling worthless brat, unwanted even at birth, trying so hard to prove himself… only to end up like the failure he always was destined to be. You were doomed from birth, Kayn._

“SHUT THE FUCK UP.”

My eyes snapped open as I stared at a grey wall. I had yelled myself awake, startling myself. What was wrong with me? God, his voice wouldn’t shut up, I could still hear him laughing… I slammed my fist against the wall, and the thought occurred to me… where was I?

I glanced around frantically. The walls seemed to be made of solid metal, and I was encased in a room sealed on all sides. There were no windows, no doors, nothing. Was I dead? Had I finally lost it? I tried phasing through the wall, like I’ve done so many times before, but my form couldn’t penetrate the cold wall. I was stuck here. I couldn’t even summon the scythe, I could no longer call out to it.

 _You’re going to die here._ Rhaast chuckled. _It’s what you deserve_.

“Shut up, Rhaast.” I snarled loudly. “Taunting me won’t bring your body back.”

 _Oh, that’s not what I want._ He continued. _You’ve gone mad. Insane. I’m dead, remember? I’m gone. Hmmm. If I’m dead and gone, who could the voice, speaking in your head be…?_

I ignored him. What mattered if he was upset with me anyway. I was the Emperor, destroyer of planets and galaxies alike, he was nothing. Dead, gone, no one would remember him. No one even knew of his existence.

Except me.

And… _him_.

I cursed at myself again. Why was I so fucking stupid? Did I really believe we had something? He was a merciless serial killer, his twisted mind mangling bodies he came across in his path. I must have been really stupid to think Khada Jhin, murderer and wanted criminal across the galaxy, had any sort of feeling for me.

It was foolish for me to have wanted anything like that in the first place. I never deserved it.

My hatred and fury quickly dissolved into a steep bout of self loathing. There was nothing I could do in this prison except be tormented by my thoughts and Rhaast’s goading voice. I had been able to tune him out when my anger for Jhin flared up, but now, I could hear him again.

 _It’s a shame you didn’t die when you were taken aback when he betrayed you._ Rhaast was going on and on, on and on, just to drive me insane. _You should have killed him there, and that was only one of the wide array of mistakes you’ve made thus far._

“I’m on the verge of bashing my own head against the wall if you don’t SHUT UP _._ ”

_Good. Do it. I’d love to see you hurt yourself, weakling._

The next thing I knew my eyes were trying to refocus. Something warm and sticky was dripping down my face, and there was a red spot on the wall. Turns out not all of my blood had been replaced with ora after all. The rush of adrenaline was starting to die down, and the pain was starting to kick in.

_Do it more. You deserve to be punished._

It hurt. But I couldn’t stop myself. My eyes started to go blurry as blood started dripping on the floor. I was beginning to lose control of my legs, and I crumpled to the floor in a bloody mess. I had smeared blood all over the floor with my legs, the long arcs of red looking like brush strokes against the steel.

_Shame why you don’t just kill yourself at this point, what’s even the point of being alive?_

“I don’t know.” I whispered softly. “I don’t… know.”

I lay down on the cold floor as the blood continued to pool around me. Through my blurry sight the color of my blood sparkled crimson, a stark contrast with the lifeless walls. It wasn’t enough blood loss to kill me, but I was feeling extremely dizzy. My thoughts were swimming lazily around my mind as even Rhaast’s laughter begin to fade.

Soon, my mind settled on a more pleasant voice, _his_ voice.

 

* * *

 

“So, what do you intend to do with your power, your soon-to-be imperial majesty?” Jhin was asking me, his eye pointed towards his current sketch, a sketchy image of an ora monster being eviscerated by lasers.

“Oh, a lot of things…” I trailed off, lost in concentration, looking at every detail I could see from his face. He turned to look at me, and I quickly pointed my glance at somewhere else.

We were in his room, looking over preparations for our next attack on an ora rich planet. His sketches and designs for my colourful advance filled me with glee, and I remember pointing out his eye for detail, and he would lower his gaze, a sign of his modesty.

“I intend to dethrone my emperor, and take over his empire. He is a mockery of his position, sitting on his throne while doing nothing to protect his claim.” I spoke, an edge of disgust leaking into my tone. “We’ve clashed many times. We’ve had disagreements, but he is being pointlessly stubborn. He’s useless, and I’ve long turned by back against him… albeit he isn’t too aware of my true intent.”

“Ah, I see.” Jhin spoke, lowering his gaze towards his sketch again. He was being rather more curious lately, asking more questions of my intent and my goals. I tried not to think of it too much, but a few questions of his asked about my future plans… I wondered, would _he_ be part of…? Never mind those thoughts. Jhin continued, “So, you expect this change in power to occur soon?”

“Yes.” I said confidently. Jhin turned and I could tell his eye was smiling with amusement. “What, do you not believe me?” I demanded.

Jhin laughed. “No, I don’t doubt you at all, Kayn. I simply think your confidence is amusing. Not that I don’t believe it. Your positivity in your goal is admirable.”

I was caught off guard and stammered out a reply, “Ah, oh all right.”

He rewarded me with a soft giggle. “Are you laughing at me?” I growled at him, which only served to make him laugh even more. Even in my slight annoyance, his laugh was so sweet to hear I really couldn’t stay angry.

“It’s not a mean spirited laugh, Kayn. It’s just… simply intriguing how naive one can be. I was like that once. It’s not that I do not believe in your cause at all. But I miss the times where I exuded confidence like you now.” I met his eyes when he spoke, and he almost seemed… wistful.

I couldn’t help but pull him up from the chair and hold him close. He let out a small yelp, and I only held him tighter. “It’s all right, you know.” Jhin patted me on the back, trying to get me to back off. “It’s not as if I _can’t_ be confident… ah, it’s all complicated.”

I released him from my grip, but I still held his hand. I gave him a sly look. It seemed the perfect opportunity had struck, and I seized the chance quickly. “Oh? Well, why don’t you show me your confident side, hmm?” I tugged him towards the bed, letting him know exactly what I was implying. Jhin seemed to catch on and he gave a small sigh.

“Ha ha… You are quite blunt when you want to be…” Nevertheless, he sat down on the bed slowly, gently patting the space between his legs. “Now come, dear Emperor.”

“Oh, I will.” I snickered softly at my joke, but when I approached him, the look he gave me stirred something up deep inside. What was it? Perhaps the change of expression was visible, and Jhin slowly pulled me to his chest, and laid my head against it.

“What thoughts have grasped your heart this time, Kayn?” Jhin whispered. His voice, the soothing quality it had. In any other scenario I would have been overflowing with lust, but any thought of sexual activity had left my head, and I was left feeling… sadness?

“I… I’m not sure.” Jhin’s chest was warm, and I could hear his heartbeat. The rhythm was comforting, slow and steady. It proved effective in calming my hectic mind. “Perhaps… I’m looking for the wrong things? I can’t exactly put what I’m feeling in words.” My eyes widened as I felt Jhin’s fingers slowly combing through my hair, but slowly half lidded again, as he ran them through my blue locks. With a little fiddling, Jhin undid my hair tie and slowly worked his fingers through the strands.

“I see.” Jhin continued with his ritual, his voice filled with understanding. “If you don’t mind me saying, you are still quite young, and people sometimes don’t know what they are looking for until moments before they die… so you aren’t in the worst spot one could be. Besides, the Emperor of the Universe would have plenty of time to seek what they truly desire, correct?”

“I suppose.” I answered, my eyes now closed. “But… this is completely hypothetical…” I began, terrified of what I was about to say. Could I say it? “What if…”

Jhin placed a small finger against my lips. “If you aren’t ready to say it, you don’t need to.” I opened my eyes as Jhin shifted his position, moving away from under me. I felt disappointment as I slid onto the bed, no longer lying against Jhin’s warm body. I suddenly became aware of Jhin crawling back onto the bed, his arms on either side of my chest. It took me a moment before I could prepare myself, but then I saw him lift his mask, only to reveal his lips. Then, they were against mine.

“Perhaps I can help rid the troubling thoughts from your mind, Emperor.” Jhin said softly, caressing the edge of my jaw. I felt a shiver run down my spine, something that hasn’t quite happened before during any of my previous moments with Jhin. “I’d be happy to serve you.”

Even though his words spoke of a submissive role, I haven’t ever felt less dominant as I gazed into the look Jhin had in his eyes. I gave a deep sigh and smiled, and felt myself sink into a dreamy fog as my memories dissipated, leaving behind only the faint sensation of utter bliss.

 

* * *

 

My eyes slowly opened, and they took a moment to focus. My hands were still coated in blood, which had dried to a crusty brown coating, covering the walls and floors. The pain had numbed to a dull ache, and the memory of Jhin was seemingly enough to block out any other voices… for the time being.

What did he say again? He had given me over to the Resistance? I wondered what they would choose to do with me. I was an intergalactic criminal, perhaps they would interrogate me, or execute me without any question. I didn’t honestly know. If I had kidnapped and imprisoned myself, I would have done away with me immediately.

How long has it been in this cell? What was taking them so long?

I sat myself up and stared at the floor in deep thought. I wondered if Jhin was already off, possibly systems away back to his former life. It had never really occurred to me that how deeply I had sank into the rabbit hole of what they called… emotional dependency. I found myself hating him more than ever, wanting to rip out those laughing eyes, rip out his larynx so he could never speak in that soft voice ever again…

I was startled by an electrical beep from an unknown source. It was followed by static, and then… a voice. For once, I knew this was real. “Shieda Kayn, you will now be due for a brief interrogation.” It was definitely automated, but I was overcome with sheer relief from hearing something other than my wretched thoughts.

“Shieda Kayn, intergalactic terrorist, traitor of the Demaxian Empire, wanted for systemwide obliteration, countless murders, including the disappearance of Emperor Jarvan… amongst several other crimes. How do you plead to these allegations?”

Was this a joke? “Of course.”

“Then, you must know the facts of the whereabouts of Emperor Jarvan.”

“Sure.” I was already bored. Was Jarvan all they wanted to know about?

The automated voice continued, “Where is Emperor Jarvan.”

I shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Failure to answer questions will lead to further torture. I will repeat: Where is Emperor Jarvan?”

Further? Was I already being tortured? I suppose going mad in a cell was pretty bad, and I didn’t know how much longer I could last, unable to even kill myself properly. “I am serious. All I know is in order to rid him from this world, I banished him to a black hole leading to a far away alternate inescapable dimension. Beyond that I have no other information to provide.”

There was a long silence, and I started to feel annoyed. Did they think I was lying? I was about to say something but the voice spoke again, “What is the nature of your relationship with the serial killer and galactic criminal Khada Jhin?”

My skin felt cold all of the sudden. How much did the Resistance know? How was I supposed to answer this question? “He was my prisoner forced to serve me while I led my empire. He worked in crafting augmentations to my technology, along with providing information about the Morningstar.” There was another stretch of silence. My head was starting to ache. Say something, dammit!

“Anything else?”

“I left him for dead after he betrayed me. He turned me in to The Resistance, after my ship crash landed on his planet and he captured me.” I felt uncomfortable, and the pressure in my chest was growing stronger. I hoped that was enough, but the long pauses of silence were infuriating.

“Is that truly all?”

My chest was mere moments from bursting. I wanted to scream and yell, how he betrayed me, how I thought we were something, something more, how I was on the verge of giving up becoming emperor just to settle down with him for the rest of my life, all the thoughts I had clenched up deep inside, where they rotted and festered. I wanted to cry, how that I never had felt or even considered the sensations of love until he trotted along, and ruined everything. How he poisoned my heart and soul with his intoxicatingly soft words and how he had me twisted around his slender fingers.

Instead, I said as calmly as I could, “Yes. There is nothing more.”

More silence, and it was deafening. “Until you can tell the complete and full truth, you will stay in the isolation chamber for-” There was a static, and then the voice abruptly cut off. I stood up quickly and charged at the wall, where the voice seemingly came from, but my body merely bruised against the sleek metal.

“I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING!” I screamed, knowing it was pointless. “WHAT _ELSE_ DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?” I slammed my fist against the wall, but there was nothing. “HE WAS NOTHING, _NOTHING_ TO ME!”

_You do suck at lying, Kayn._

“I will rip off my own ears just to stop hearing you.” I snarled, and Rhaast laughed, his voice descending into the abyss that was my mind. I was in a world of pain again, as my outburst had only served to reignite my barely healed wounds. My legs gave away again, and I lay on the floor, curled up and cowering.

Rhaast continued to torment me, speaking on end on the usual hatred he had for me, but I couldn’t pay attention. My chest was hurting, and the throbbing pain of my heart had nothing to do with Rhaast. Maybe even the mere lie of proclaiming Jhin meant nothing to me hurt me deeper than any other truth Rhaast could fling his way at me.

Rhaast… _Rhaast_ …

Oh, what a lonely, delusional fool I was…

It grew awfully quiet, and I hated it even more. I was scared more than the truth and lies it seemed. What I really hated, what I was scared of more than everything else in the whole world… was being completely and utterly alone for eternity.

I heard sounds from the wall again, shouting and screaming. _Is my mind that desperate for attention and stimulation it’s making up noises? First Rhaast, then this…_

The sounds quieted down, confirming my suspicions. _I guess I’ll just lie here, forever, until I wither away and finally be released from this worthless husk of a form_ -

There was a loud metallic thunk. I blinked a few times, but then heard it again. I sat up slowly, my head still spinning from everything that had transpired within the last hour. The wall, which had been a sleek untextured grey… had a very large dent in it.

I crawled closer, rubbing my eyes to see if they were playing tricks on me. I blinked and stared, and the dent in the wall was still there. What in the ever loving-  
An explosion interrupted my thoughts, and I tried my best to shield myself from the cloud of smoke and dust, and flying shards of debris. I coughed, and tried to make out shapes from the explosion… a silhouette. Holding a long, curved… my scythe?

With one sweeping motion, the figure swept away the dust with the scythe, and I recognized the gold and blue immediately. I stared up at the slim figure, the now stained and burned coat hanging lopsided from his shoulders, his mask cracked in several spots, a large chunk was missing from his mouth area. His posture slightly tilted, as if one of his legs was injured and he was trying to avoid shifting all of his weight onto it.

Jhin smiled, now visible through the missing part of his mask. He dropped the scythe at my feet and sighed deeply as he sank to his knees in a kneel. “My emperor…” He began, his voice hoarse. “Kill me, torture me, do whatever… but make sure to bring _them_ hell.”

With those words he collapsed on the ground, eyes closed. I reached out and held the scythe, the warmth returning to my cold body. Oh, I knew what I was going to do.

I stood up, energy seemingly returning to my body, feeling a spark of hope I haven’t felt in a while. I slowly picked up Jhin, and slung him over my shoulder, and then exited the metal cage that had served as my torture room.


End file.
